Chapter 58 How about... seduction?
Jiang Zhishui had to use all her persuasion to calm Ying Xue down and stop her from acting rashly. Ying Xue had come with her Uncle-Master Song An; the two had split up and agreed to meet again in an hour. Their main purpose was to confirm the situation of Emperor Qingyu.
Song An had instructed her to only gather information and not to take action. However, Ying Xue harbored the desire to avenge Jiang Zhishui. She planned that if they encountered him, she would resort to any means necessary, including ambushes, poisoning, etc. If she couldn't kill the devil, she would at least find a way to injure him once.
Jing Qianheng could return at any time, so Jiang Zhishui didn't dare let Ying Xue stay any longer and told her to leave quickly.
Ying Xue wanted to force Jiang Zhishui to go with her, but if she disappeared, who knew what trouble Jing Qianheng would cause. Besides, Jiang Zhishui still needed to retrieve the divine artifact, so of course she refused to go with Ying Xue.
Ying Xue herself knew that since Emperor Qingyu had such great ability to revive Jiang Zhishui, his obsession with Jiang Zhishui was also extraordinary. Even if Jiang Zhishui was taken away, Ziyang Immortal Mansion might not be able to protect her. Before having a foolproof plan, she really shouldn't act impulsively.
After thinking for a moment, Ying Xue decided to follow Jiang Zhishui's suggestion and let her stay while she went to meet with her Uncle Song An to discuss the matter further.
After Ying Xue left, Jiang Zhishui closed the window, sat at the table, and stared blankly at the candlelight.
In the first life, she and Jing Qianheng were the only ones who traveled from the second life.
Staying here any longer is not good. The world collapse mentioned by the system is that the core protagonist who built the second life has run into the first life, which may cause a spacetime rift. The second life, which was originally the main structure of the novel's world, will be without the protagonist. How can the plot continue? The first life, which was originally a static world without plot missions, has become lively again because of the protagonist's arrival.
The longer she and Jing Qianheng stay in the first life, the more severely the system's functions will be depleted, and they must obtain the artifact as soon as possible.
Given the current situation, it seems that we can only launch a quick attack, not a slow and drawn-out one.
Jiang Zhishui's eyes lit up, and a sudden idea struck her, "How about... using sex?"
She sat up straight, her face beaming with joy, increasingly convinced that this method was feasible.
Jiang Zhishui remembered that in her first life, Yun Jin had given her a fragrant balm, saying that applying it to her body would attract the Emperor's affections.
The perfume was made from rare flowers that grew on Thousand Realms Peak. There was a secluded valley within Thousand Realms Peak, where a vast expanse of flowers bloomed in vibrant colors, their fragrance wafting in the breeze—a truly delightful sight. Jiang Zhishui discovered this place by chance and picked some flowers to show them. Yun Jin, who was quite knowledgeable about fragrances, selected a few to make the perfume, so that she could use it when she met the Emperor.
Emperor Qingyu rarely returns, spending most of his time avoiding Jiang Zhishui. Seeing him is no easy feat. In her first life, this wouldn't have been feasible; in fact, being discovered could have angered him and cost her her life.
Originally, it was just something a few of them did for fun when they were bored. Jiang Zhishui agreed perfunctorily but didn't dare to use it at all. The perfume was just left lying around in the room and hadn't been touched for a long time.
Jiang Zhishui acted immediately, running out to pick flowers late at night. She brought them back without time to make them into a balm, deciding to just use them for a bath.
She filled the bathtub with flower petals and soaked in it. She kept running up and down the mountain throughout the night. The mountain wind was biting cold, and she was in a hurry. She sneezed several times after soaking in the tub for a short while.
Jiang Zhishui was slightly intoxicated by the fragrance, so she didn't dare to soak for too long. After getting dressed, she sat down at the dressing table with her long hair down. Her cheeks were flushed in the mirror, and when she touched her face, it was still a little hot.
She stared at herself in the mirror, her eyelids heavy. She glanced at the doorway, raised her hand and patted her face lightly, forcing herself to cheer up.
——
Jing Chengrui temporarily abandoned his plan to settle scores with Jing Qianheng. Not to mention that he had no chance of winning, there were many suspicious points about what happened back then, and Zhou Linyuan was cunning and would never be so kind as to tell him the truth.
Many things still need to be investigated further. Jing Chengrui mainly came for Sheng Yuchen. However, he was very unlucky. He wandered around Qianjing Peak, dodging the guards' patrols several times. Just as he was secretly rejoicing, he turned around and bumped into Jing Qianheng.
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and push forward.
Jing Chengrui's mother was a palace maid, and his birth mother was of lowly status. As a prince, he had no powerful relatives and was not valued from a young age. Moreover, Crown Prince Jing Rong and the seventh prince Jing Qianheng were both heirs who had displayed the dragon pattern of their ancestors, so everyone's attention was on these two princes.
He was consistently ignored and disregarded. Until a group of people decided to use him as a pawn, cultivating a third force to fight against the Crown Prince and Jing Qianheng for the throne.
Jing Chengrui had no interest in the throne whatsoever. Those people, unaware of the truth, plunged headlong into the vortex of power, fighting fiercely.
But as a member of the royal family, Jing Chengrui knew that the people of the entire Jin Kingdom had been given a suggestion. They had forgotten their identity as demons and thought they were human, indulging in this illusion. Only on some special festivals each year would the emperor briefly bring them back to their senses.
Jing Chengrui was not close to either the Crown Prince or Jing Qianheng. The Crown Prince's heart was always with Jing Qianheng, and the Emperor, like the Crown Prince, had a contemptuous and indifferent attitude towards Jing Chengrui.
The reason Jing Chengrui dared to come alone this time was because Zhou Linyuan's people had been secretly monitoring him. Even if he didn't want to get involved in these troublesome matters and left to travel the world, Zhou Linyuan probably wouldn't let him off easily.
Instead of passively waiting for the opponent to make a move, it's better to disrupt the situation first and then look for opportunities to turn the tide.
His original plan was to meet Sheng Yuchen. He didn't know if Sheng Yuchen was forced to submit to Jing Qianheng. If she had her reasons, he would try to rescue her. If he couldn't take her away, he would try to stay, find out the truth, and then judge whether Jing Qianheng was worth serving.
Jing Chengrui had been on the run for some time. Not only was Zhou Linyuan eyeing him covetously, but also people from the immortal sects and the demon race were constantly searching for his whereabouts. He was surrounded by danger and had nowhere to hide, so he could only try his luck at Qianjing Peak.
Jing Qianheng led him to a side hall and asked him to stay there for the time being.
Jing Chengrui walked around and looked around, then said, "I've heard a lot about you. The Azure Jade Emperor suddenly appeared, and he was tyrannical and wicked. He chose a female cultivator from the Purple Sun Immortal Mansion as his wife. Everyone says that she is your furnace, just a tool for you to practice your cultivation."
Jing Qianheng sat to one side, his eyes slightly narrowed, and said in a low voice, "You said you have accomplices, who are they?"
Jing Chengrui glanced at him and said bluffingly, "An all-powerful expert, she's well hidden and won't be found easily."
"I'll have Yu Chen come to see you tomorrow." Seeing that his character was no different from his second life, Jing Qianheng was too lazy to play games with him. He stood up and said, "Don't run around."
Jing Qianheng's anxiety from the previous night had been greatly calmed by Jing Chengrui's interruption.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Jing Chengrui teased, "So eager to leave? Is someone waiting for you?"
Jing Qianheng paused, and the hall fell silent for a moment. Jing Chengrui laughed and said, "When I heard you were getting married, I found it strange. Why did it have to be someone from the Ziyang Immortal Mansion? Then I remembered that you had cultivated there for a while. The world doesn't know your true face, but I know who the Azure Jade Emperor is. You deliberately chose that person to force her to stay by your side in this way, didn't you?"
Jing Qianheng has always had complicated feelings for Jiang Zhishui. He wants to get close to her, but he also unconsciously wants to stay away from her. He doesn't know how to treat her.
He was tormented by these contradictory feelings. She, on the other hand, did whatever she wanted, living a carefree and unrestrained life.
That time, Jiang Zhishui left him with no room to maneuver. He accepted her offer in a daze, possessing her with selfish motives. At the height of his happiness, her soft "Ayu" plunged him into an eternal hell, causing him unbearable pain.
He now knows who that Ayu is—himself in his first life—but he is still extremely jealous and cannot bear it.
Jing Qianheng was trying his best to control his rationality, but he was also deliberately ignoring some facts. He didn't want to mention them or investigate them. Anyway, the person was already in his hands, and he would not let her escape again no matter what. Whether it was deception or a substitute, as long as she was alive and not a cold corpse, that was enough.
Jing Qianheng turned to look at Jing Chengrui and sneered, "Even a fool like you can figure this out, but she never understands. I want her, I only want her... But she's different. She doesn't want me. Her mind is full of other people. She's full of sweet talk and has lied to me again and again. This time I won't fall for it again. Nothing she does will work."
Jing Chengrui frowned slightly, still somewhat unconvinced at being called a fool.
Jing Qianheng paused, then suddenly looked up and asked, "If it were you, what would you do?"
Jing Chengrui had never been married, so how would he know? But as the elder brother, he didn't want to lose face over such a thing, so he coughed and said in a serious tone, "As a man, if you like her, you should be more generous. If you're so petty about such a small thing, how can she like you?"
Jing Qianheng was taken aback, then lowered his eyes in thought.
That's what Granny Xu said before...
Seeing that he seemed to have learned something from his expression, Jing Chengrui continued, "Isn't it a good thing that she's willing to go to the trouble of lying to you? It means that she only wants to show you the good things. Sometimes lying is due to circumstances. Maybe she did it out of kindness and didn't want to hurt you. Don't just look at the surface and judge her so hastily."
Jing Qianheng looked up at him, vaguely sensing that something was amiss, but Jing Chengrui's confident tone made him listen more and more seriously. "You're saying she's obsessed with other men? What kind of talk is that? Did you personally witness her being ambiguous with other men, or are you just making things up because you suspect her? You can't slander someone like that without solid evidence. You married her yourself, the person you love, don't you know her character? If she finds out, she'll be heartbroken!"
"I..." Jing Qianheng was stunned by what he said, and whispered, "I have no evidence..."
Jing Chengrui raised his chin and clapped his hands confidently. "See, you're just being suspicious for no reason. The most important thing in a marriage is trust. If you're so suspicious, how can anyone live peacefully with you? But you're only being overly concerned because you love her so much. Just talk it out properly. Don't lose your temper. Be careful not to scare her away, or you'll regret it."
This was the second time Jing Qianheng had heard the excuse of "scaring them away," and he immediately became on high alert.
Jing Chengrui was speaking when he suddenly remembered something. He blinked, pondered for a moment, and then looked up and said, "But... who are you talking about? Wasn't your wife dead for many years?"
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